This invention relates generally to a cooler for beverage containers, and, more particularly, to a cooler that holds ice for cooling the beverage containers and the liquid therein.
Beverages are routinely served chilled, poured over ice and sometimes even chilled beverages are still served over ice. Many people desire beverages served very cold in what is often termed an ice cold condition. Establishments that merchandise individual beverage servings typically have refrigerator units that chill the beverage containers and the beverage therein using cold circulating air. There are many different brands and varieties beverages each vying for precious refrigerator shelf space and each vying for that shelf location that makes them the most visible and likely to be noticed. Refrigerator units are typically installed along a wall for easy electrical and mechanical connection, to keep the electrical and mechanical components out of sight, and for easy filling from the rear without disturbing customers. Unfortunately, this placement along a wall is problematic because it decreases product visibility. Also, sales are sometimes lost because the product does not look cold in the refrigerator or feel very cold to the touch.
Sometimes, a cooler filled with ice is used for dispensing beverages because it does not have to be positioned against a wall and therefore has a position advantage. While a typical cooler enjoys a position advantage, it adds nothing in a merchandising sense because it merely acts as a repository without aesthetically enhancing the product or making the product identification more visible. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a cooler that enhances product visibility and merchantability.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to present the invention, a cooler for beverage containers comprises a base, a pedestal upstanding from the base and a lid connected to the pedestal. The pedestal has top and bottom portions and the bottom portion is fastened to the base. The top portion defines a reservoir adapted to receive and hold the beverage containers. The lid is connected to the top portion and is operable between a closed position at which the lid covers the reservoir blocking access to the beverage containers and an open position at which access to the beverage containers is permitted.
The reservoir holds ice and beverage containers giving the appearance of being very cold. The reservoir is formed by an inner sidewall that is inside an outer sidewall with an air space between the two. The air space forms an insulator between the two sidewalls. When the outer sidewall is opaque, the air space can be filled with thermal insulation for greater effectiveness.
The pedestal has a curved configuration resembling a truncated bell or top half of an hour glass that provides aesthetic appeal. The base is wider than the bottom of the pedestal that rests on the base for added stability. The lid can be frosted to add to the aesthetic appeal. Also, the pedestal can have formed thereon small protrusions resembling drops of condensation giving the impression that it is icy cold.